One of the most amazing creative forces in Broadway theatre was born today in 1927 in the city of Chicago. His father had taught him ballroom dancing and from there Bob Fosse learned tap and acrobatic dancing. With Fred Astaire as his inspiration, Bob Fosse became one of the most incredible choreographers of the 20th century. Some of his most famous routines was "Steam Heat" from the Pajama Game and "Hey, Big Spender" from Cy Coleman's and Neil Simon's "Sweet Charity" The filmed routines from the motion picture version of "Cabaret" were typical: full of the vulgar energy of vaudeville and burlesque updated and cool contained within a slick knowing sophistication. He won an Oscar for directing this picture. Funny thing, there was no musical that won a Best Picture Oscar after that until "Chicago" -- another show he championed on Broadway won one thirty years later in 2002. Bob Fosse was responsible for the first Broadway success of Stephen Schwartz winning a Tony award for "Pippin" in 1972. Bob Fosse developed dance routines there were intense and specific, yet had a sophisticated simplicity. He went bald at age seventeen which is why he used bowler hats in his creations. He did not like the look of his hands so he used gloves in all of his routines. It was during the Broadway production of "The Pajama Game" that he first met his future wife: the legendary and equally amazing Gwen Verdon ("Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets') .He was a chain smoking, no holds barred, in your face kind of guy that I got to meet once back in 1986-- a year before he died of a heart attack at age sixty. There has been a resurgence of interest in Fosse's work following revivals of some of his past shows. Of course my very favorite work of his is "Damn Yankees" -- who could forget "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo" or "What Do They Do When They Do The Mambo" Today he would have been 79 years young. I think every dancer in the world owes this man a great big "thank you". Well until, next time....